The new ‘Emma’ movie will be available to watch at home early

Universal has announced plans to bring forward the digital release of Emma.

Based on Jane Austen’s classic 1815 novel, the new period drama movie comes from the producers of Winston Churchill drama The Darkest Hour.

Emma only had its cinema release last month, but with many theatres now closed due to the coronavirus crisis, viewers will be able to watch it at home far sooner than expected.

Universal Studios will be releasing a number of its latest films, also including The Invisible Man and The Hunt, to rent on digital platforms starting this Friday.

Emma will be available to watch via Amazon Prime here.

You can also already pre-order the DVD here.

Watch the trailer:

The cast is led by Peaky Blinders actress Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma, alongside Bill Nighy (Love Actually) as Emma’s father Mr. Woodhouse, comedian Miranda Hart (Call the Midwife) as Miss Bates, and Josh O’Connor (The Durrells) as Mr. Elton.

In a statement today, commented: “Given the rapidly evolving and unprecedented changes to consumers’ daily lives during this difficult time, the company felt that now was the right time to provide this option in the home as well as in theaters.”

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell explained: “Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable.

He added: “We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theaters where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible.”

Emma will be available to rent on Amazon Prime.